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    Gratitude Journal

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    Subject: SEL (Social-Emotional Learning)

    Lesson Length: 20 - 30 mins

    Topic: Gratitude

    Grade Level: 4, 5, 6, 7

    Standards / Framework:

    Brief Description: Students will create a comic journal documenting what they’re grateful for.

    Know Before You Start: Understand the practice and science of gratitude and why it’s important for mental and emotional health.

    Hook:

    • Have students imagine something or someone they’re truly grateful for.
      • What do they see?
      • What do they feel? 
    • Discuss what they envisioned and the emotions they experienced. For example, feeling warmth, feeling safe, feeling less tense or feeling happy.
    • Explain that gratitude isn’t just saying “thank you."
    • Practicing daily gratitude has been scientifically proven to have long-lasting effects on the body and especially the brain. The more you practice the more positive your perspective becomes. (Greater Good Magazine, Berkeley.edu).

    Activity:

    • Each comic entry should include:
      • A date.
      • A description of a person, thing, or event they are thankful for.
      • Characters, outfits and backgrounds that help illustrate their gratitude.
    • Prompts:
      • Who unconditionally supports you in your life? Thank them and tell them why they are so special to you in a comic.
      • What is a place you are grateful to have visited or get to be in often? Describe why you like it in your comic. 
      • What talents are you grateful? Show your avatar being grateful for those talents.
      • What is one memory you are grateful to have? Show that memory and why you are grateful for it.

    Closure:

    • Have students create one or more entries each week in a journal of gratitude comic.
    • Reflection Questions:
      • How has routinely practicing gratitude changed you emotionally? Mentally?
      • Have you practiced gratitude in different ways, e.g., sent a thank you letter, called someone to thank them, etc.

    Differentiation:

    • Allow students to use the speech-to-text feature.
    • Allow students to work in pairs or groups as needed.
    • Allow students to use the voiceover feature to read their comics aloud.

    Resources:

    Suggested Content Packs:

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